Somewhat surprisingly to those not familiar with the series, Tom
Clancy’s Ghost Recon quickly emerged as one of the more popular
Xbox Live games since last year’s November launch. As I commented
in my review of that game, the best part of the game was easily the
online play and most gamers seem to have agreed with me. With that
in mind, Ubisoft has released Island Thunder, essentially an
add-on disk that doesn’t require the original game and provides a
brand new (but shorter) single-player mission and enhanced online
play.

In case you've never played a Clancy game before, most of them
revolve around a group of elite soldiers infiltrating enemy
territory and carrying out a variety of tasks in service of their
country. Island Thunder is no different, but it's important
to note that the team in this game is different from the Rainbow
Six team…in other words this game is NOT part of the Rainbow Six
series. The Ghosts are an elite group of specially trained Green
Berets, armed with the latest weaponry, gadgets, and other
essentials needed to carry out critical and complex tasks in service
of the US government. This time the single-player mission takes
place in Cuba. Castro is dead, and the Ghosts are deployed to halt
a warlord’s attempt at thwarting the island’s first free elections
since Castro’s fall. This campaign spans 8 different single-player
missions, and 5 different desert missions are planned as
downloadable content via Xbox Live (one is already available as I
type this).

Prior to each mission, the player will set up the assault teams to
be used in the mission, including picking from the available
soldiers and setting them up with the proper kit (weapons,
accessories, etc.) to use in that mission. The auto-assign function
actually works pretty well and the game will not let the player
continue if they don't have the specialized soldiers necessary to
complete some missions (such as a demolition expert), so even
novices can get into the game fairly quickly.

Once a mission begins, the player's teams are inserted at the
drop-off point and move out towards each objective. Action takes
place in first person, and smartly Island Thunder uses the same
FPS-esque control scheme (move with the left analog stick, look with
the right stick, etc.) as the last game. The right trigger is used
to fire the selected weapon, while B cycles kits, X turns on night
vision, Y switches between different soldiers, and A reloads. At
any time during a mission the left trigger is used to bring up the
Command Interface. From here the player can plan action for both
teams, including plotting waypoints (where each team should
advance), adjusting movement (Advance, Advance At All Costs, and
Hold) and other combat options.

The meat of the Ghost Recon experience continues to lie in
multiplayer, and Island Thunder continues to excel in that
area with a total of 12 maps set in jungles, deserts, and urban
environments. These include 4 maps from the original, voted on by
the fans as those to include in this game. The game supports
multiplayer via split-screen, system link, and of course Xbox Live.
Split-screen play allows two players to play either cooperatively or
against each other…nothing special. System link allows up to 16
different players to play in a variety of co-op, team, and solo
games.

Co-op game types include Mission (up to 5 players play through a
single-player mission), Firefight (up to 5 players take on scattered
enemies), Recon (up to 5 players must reach an extraction zone by
moving through enemy territory), and Defend (up to 5 players must
defend a base from incoming enemies). Team games include Last Man
Standing (last team with people alive wins), Search and Rescue
(three hostages need to be rescued), Hamburger Hill (team must
control a zone and is awarded points for doing so), Domination (same
as Hamburger Hill with five zones), and Siege (smallest team defends
a base, attackers win by having a member in the base for five
seconds). Solo games include Last Man Standing, Sharpshooter (most
kills wins), Hamburger Hill, and Cat and Mouse. Cat and Mouse is
where all players start as “cats”, and then the first player to get
a kill becomes the “mouse”. His kit is then reduced to a single
pistol, and any time the “mouse” scores a kill until killed he will
receive one point. Any “cat” that kills a “mouse” then becomes the
“mouse”.

That’s a whole lot of online game types, even though Island Thunder
only adds one new one (Co-op Defend) over the original Ghost
Recon. One of the things that make this game’s online play so
great is that players have also made up a variety of game types
themselves. Perhaps the most fun I’ve had online thus far is when
playing “President”, in which one player is designated the
“President” and picks several other players to be his “bodyguards”.
These guards can only carry silenced weaponry, and must defend a
specific location from incoming attackers while the “President”
cowers inside with only basic weaponry. If the attackers can
successfully assassinate the “President”, the person who delivered
the killing shot then becomes “President” for the next mission with
his teammates as the “Bodyguards”.

Xbox Live play is basically the same as the System link play
outlined above, with one excellent addition and new maps. That
addition is
a global scoreboard that ranks players from their multiplayer
matches and tournaments. Naturally, it also adds Quick Match, OptiMatch
(find games that match the player’s preferences), and Create a
Match options that allow the player to jump into gameplay quickly.

Graphically Island Thunder is very much like the original
Ghost Recon, with some minor enhancements to the weather
effects, character models, and environments. The game also seems to
have gotten a more “polished” look than before as well, with some of
the rough edges smoothed out and a brighter color palette. On the
whole though, Island Thunder looks decidedly mediocre for an
Xbox title. It looks good enough that the environments are
convincing, but most foliage looks 2D, texture work is pretty basic,
and indoor environments are sparse.

Like the first game though, the sound makes up for the lackluster
look. The ambient environment effects are tremendous and entirely
realistic. Weapons fire sounds dead-on, and communication between
teammates and squads (particularly on Xbox Live when they’re real
people) immerses the player in the action. Music again is used
sparingly, but to great effect on the menu screens and in game when
necessary.

Highs:

A brand new single-player mission that’s as good (if a little
shorter) as the first and the promise of 5 downloadable missions
via Xbox Live.

One of the Xbox’s best online games now sports a new scoreboard,
all-new maps and four of the best from before, and a new co-op
game mode.

Some of the best use of ambient sound anywhere.

Lows:

Like before, the slower pace and required knowledge of basic
military tactics may turn off many. A decent tutorial helps to
compensate for this somewhat though.

The graphics are still mediocre compared to other Xbox games.

Final
Verdict:

If you’re a fan of the original (especially the online play),
there’s no question that you should own this version as well. More
Ghost Recon is always a good thing, and the included
enhancements are just icing on a very delicious cake. If you’ve
never played a Clancy game before but enjoy online gaming in
general, now is the perfect time to see what all the fuss is about.